he suggested that he wants to see taxes go up for the rich. middle class tax cuts get extended for the middle class and then we will back and deal with spending cuts next year. >> and it would give us more time than next year to work together on a comprehensive plan to bring down our deficits it, to streamline our tax system. to do it in a balanced way. including asking the wealthiest americans to pay a little more. >> the problem with that strategy is that republic leaders are insisting that they don't want to take a framework for spending cuts down the road in exchange for tax changes now. they want it all done at the same time so that they can be sure that if taxes are going up on the rich, that in fact some of those spending cuts to bring down the debt will actually materialize. it might make it more likely to go of 00 cliff even though the president insisted today he thinks there will be a deal within weeks, shep. >> shepard: as for extending tax cuts for middle class americans it sounds like there is some agreement on that matter. >> it